Container processing machines, such as, bottle fillers, in the past presented a processing table which was firmly attached to the machine and in which the inlet and outlet stars, and optionally transfer stars, were built in with a fixed mutual arrangement and also a fixed arrangement with respect to the machine. This concept is being questioned today, for microbiological reasons and because it is difficult to clean. Furthermore, the star configuration is established and not variable, i.e., tailored to fit a given application.
The transport system known from EP 0 901 974 A and U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,985 A is constructed on a support plate, which covers the star drive systems and is located under the transport plane which consists of hoods that are rigidly interconnected by casting or welding, and which stands with legs on the floor. The hoods carry the support housings of the stars, which are narrower than the hoods. Although this concept is slightly better than the previous processing table solutions with regard to microbiological conditions and cleaning, the support plate nevertheless covers an unnecessarily large floor area, and, between the hoods there are intersecting areas and angles in which dirt becomes fixed. Furthermore, the star configuration, which is not variable and fixed by the support plate, is a drawback; in fact, it is tailored so to speak to each given application. In an embodiment, the drive systems of the stars can be driven separately.
The transport system known from EP 1 316 520 A, which is operatively assigned to a bottle filler and a rinser, is constructed on a duct carrier in the shape of an arc of a circle, which stands on the floor, and in which several seats for stars and other installations are integrated, and in which additionally rigidly positioned storage places for other installations are incorporated. In the seats, stars can be mounted, which present their own drive motors. Different numbers and types of stars can be chosen depending on the application, nevertheless, the shape of the duct carrier in the form of an arc of a circle does not allow any variability worth mentioning. The concept is also not satisfactory from the microbiological point of view.